Election ad: Republican Neel Kashkari saves drowning boy

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KABC) -- A boy flails his arms, struggling to avoid drowning. As he sinks to the bottom, Republican gubernatorial candidate Neel Kashkari reaches out and rescues him.

So begins an advertisement scheduled to begin airing statewide on Tuesday.

"Every kid in every neighborhood deserves a good education and a chance for a better life," Kashkari says in the spot. "Jerry Brown betrayed our kids to protect his donors. When I'm governor, I'll fight for kids, not against them."

The 30-second ad serves as an indirect reference to a recent court case where students sued the state claiming the teacher tenure system was unconstitutional because it deprives some poor and minority children of a quality education.

The kids won in court, but Brown and the California Teachers Association are appealing the ruling. The teacher's union gives millions in contributions to Democrats.

Kashkari's spokesman says, "The governor had a choice: Fight for the children who need him or protect his donors. He chose his donors and he should be ashamed of himself."

On Monday, Brown's campaign spokesman Dan Newman tweeted: "Delusions of grandeur = when a candidate calls self 'transformational' and stages ad of him saving a drowning child."

He also tweeted, "Despite sudden professed interest in teacher tenure, Kashkari didn't even bother to vote when the issue was on the '05 ballot. #Hypocrisy."

In his ads, Brown doesn't even mention he's running for Governor, but he's up in the polls by about 20 points.

Raphael Sonenshein, executive director of the Pat Brown Institute, said Brown's strategy has been safe, but successful.

"I'm someone who is allergic to making predictions. But there is no scenario I can imagine in which Kashkari can win," Sonenshein said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.